Fred Krueger announced he was leaving Minds + Machines (MMX) two weeks ago, and then announced he sold over 10% of his shares a few days later, wrote a an interesting post on Facebook today which is well worth a read so I’m reprinting it here.
Fred is a good writer so here is his post from his Facebook page entitled “Why I hate ICANN” (and he is not alone).
Here is the post reprinted unedited:
“”One of the advantages of leaving MMX is that I am finally done with ICANN — which is one of the single worst organizations I have come across on this planet.
Like the European Union — ICANN is a prototypical example of self governing bodies gone bad. And it’s really bad. Let me count the ways…
1. ICANN spends something like 100 Million dollars a year on travel (more if you count the total waste spent by all ICANN participants) on various boondoggles in places like Cartagena, Columbia. The *exact same people* show up at these meetings, begging the question as to why they don’t meet in a more cost efficient location such as Playa Del Ray, California, where ICANN is headquartered. And the answer is — that would be favoriting the US. These other countries deserve their own galas, opening ceremonies etc.. — and they deserve the money that comes to them from hosting an ICANN event…
2. ICANN purports to be an equal access organization. Anybody can join a working group. At least, thats the theory. In reality, its a close knit circle of insiders, with nobody even talking to new people. Hard core ICANN veterans, with no real qualification other than they know other such people, dominate the discussion and policy. Ultimately, the ICANN board makes all the important decisions. The notion of stakeholder participation is a joke.
3. ICANN took something like 7 years to roll out new gTLDs, when they could have just concluded an auction in a week. The entire process was a complete farce. In the end, it was just an auction, amongst 10 or so key players (MMX being one of them). But I wasted years dealing with the inefficiencies of the program.
4. Two surreal words. Digital Archery. In 2012, ICANN decided they needed to figure out who went first in app evaluation.They ended up doing the obvious solution — a random draw. But for about 5 months, they wasted everybody’s time working on a “non-chance” method with the above name. Google it.
5. Everything connected with “community” is a complete joke. ECO is considered a community, but Green is not. Hotels yes, Restaurants no. Sometimes one panel member says yes, another says no. It’s a farce.
6. ICANN loves to add regulation on top of regulation in the name of protecting the consumer. To become an ICANN accredited registrar you need to jump through hoops. But to become a reseller and do 99% of the same thing you click three boxes online. It’s entirely a legal strategy to cover ICANN in the case of a lawsuit.
I could go on and on. I do like new TLDs. But having ICANN be in change of them is like putting the French in change of technology. You just know its going to be a mess. And sure enough, it is.
Wow. Tell us how you “really” feel Fred. : ) On behalf of Fred, I apologize to the French.
Merci!
Don’t have to: look at the mess we caused on .WINE and .VIN new gTLDs. I kind of agree with him on certain points.
Jean.
nb: but we’re soooooooo good at baking bread.
the old minitel again?
“DOT COM WILL BE DEAD IN 10 YEARS”
Dec, 2013
8 years 6 months left…
ICANN = FIFA……………………………???
😉
Yeah, ICANN should relocate to Geneva first for us to see the blood.
This is a eulogy for the new gtlds, which, if they are not dead yet, soon will be.
The new gtlds were an idea which was foolishly executed and never had a chance to succeed, partly for the reasons detailed above. Thanks for the insight as to why the gtlds are all .dying
But they are not going anywhere Bart. They are in the root they may suck as investments but they are not leaving.
I meant the French Government. The French are great at a lot of things, including the Concorde, the Minitel and the TGV. I grew up there!
Let’s be honest with ourselves, Fred. The French suck.
C’est la vie
ce pas la vie. monsieur Krueger est préjuger.
s
“Fred is a good writer.”
No, mate, he’s not.
not to mention xenophobic and rude.
Very Interesting read indeed.
Well then, Mr. Krueger, and Mr. Berkens – it would seem then that in light of these rather heartfelt and strongly well expressed feelings you might now wish to use your respective platforms to help get the industry to pay a little more attention to this issue which threatens everything about 21st century life, freedom of expression, and commerce that we have all more or less come to take for granted:
http://aclj.org/united-nations/dangerous-transfer-the-presidents-icann-internet-problem
…instead of having our collective heads buried in the sand for the most part about it so to speak; and also help others who might be naive enough or stuck on their own anti-American bias enough to oppose the continued US role in protecting the Internet – since inventing both the Internet and DNS no less – to break free from any pollyannish dream world fantasy about how things would be better off if the last trace of US oversight was removed, and the big bad wolves of far worse and far more ill-intended countries would simply play nice and not worm their way into Grandma’s house after it’s done.
My, that last one was a long sentence, wasn’t it?
Well, just a suggestion, mind you. And I for one would be very grateful if you both did.
I read it and found it quite interesting, but it’s kind of hard for me to take an article seriously that’s posted by an organization (ACLJ) founded by Pat Robertson 🙂
Well congratulations for presenting yourself to the world as a living example of someone who fulfills the very definition of the “ad hominem” fallacy. 🙂 This issue, the impending change and the type of concerns expressed in that article have been out there from various sources for many months now, but from your comment it would seem you have not even been aware. That is also the problem in the “domain investing” industry in my view, either lack of awareness or lack of concern to the point of almost completely ignoring the issue with heads buried in the sand. There may also be a strong and unspoken “PC” element of not wanting to offend any anti-Americans sentiments among our non-US colleagues by advocating openly against the transition and for the preservation of US oversight. That the Internet and DNS were invented in the USA to begin with and that US oversight is what has preserved the level of free, fair and open equality and opportunity we have all come to enjoy and take for granted is merely an “inconvenient truth” on that count. Just as with Net Neutrality, however, this issue potentially threatens everything.
So then folks may simply wish to ask themselves when they’re not too busy not thinking about this impending change and the ramifications of it – with everything we know about how the world operates, particularly the less well intended powerful nations of the world, how ICANN has functioned and operated so often, and what happens when they are left to themselves and their own devices, and last but not least every thought, word and sentiment expressed in this very blog thread – is it really a good idea to cut the cord connecting to the place where it was all invented, which has kept it from the predatory intent of those who would never have had it so to begin with? Is it really something one should not be thinking about or putting some open and public effort into as the day approaches, now under threat of veto if elected representatives wish to stand in the way for good cause?
“which has kept it from the predatory intent of those who would never have had it so to begin with”
Provide an example of an instance in which this has happened. The NTIA, to my recollection, has never intervened in any IANA operation directed by ICANN. But perhaps I’m forgetting whenever that has happened.
Excellent. Precisely, Mr. Berryhill. And I believe that’s usually how it goes when the wolves see the bear standing ready.
There are certainly some inequities in the ICANN process. No organization is perfect. But it’s a pretty beautiful mess all things considered. There are a few participants who seem to add little to the overall apparatus who I would like to cleave out of ICANN and neuter or neutralize. They survive by selling hollow or ineffective consulting and services to newcomers with stars in their eyes. And Fred’s right that they are effectively in the way of progress. We’re talking about the obvious parasitic folks, some of whom are old timers and hung on, some new. Folks who have contributed remarkably little (when you look at the big picture). They will get theirs eventually because the brands have been invited into the root. Brands are animals that have no patience for flimsy dogma’s of the past. A genie has been let out of the bottle and she will change things in due course.
The auctions, the process, and the digital archery (which we were participants in), I chalk up to naiveté and youthful insecurities of a burgeoning process and program. You just need to have a thick skin and roll with it. The sudden, often unwarranted and compounding regulation is something to be watched, spoken too, and resisted. Everything will work out i due course. Fred was probably right to vent and get it out there and keep people on their toes.. with exception to the unfairly maligned French – whom I still apologize too. ; )
Blimey.
Name names Schilling!
Who needs to be neutered?
Oh, yay! What could be better to hear about today:
“US plan to cede internet domain control on track: Icann”
http : // tech . firstpost . com /news-analysis/us-plan-to-cede-internet-domain-control-on-track-icann-269420.html
“ICANN loves to add regulation on top of regulation in the name of protecting the consumer”
If that’s true, then what on earth were they thinking with .sucks?
It’s great that Fred’s insight has reached this blog, and I have been anti ICANN for years due to such culture and behaviour.
Could this be a catalyst for real action?
I don’t think Google like the French either?
There is plenty to complain about when it comes to ICANN, but they are no worse than any regulatory body and in many thanks ways far better. Plus, any truly efficient regulatory agency wouldn’t have allowed private TLD auctions – it would have collected most of the economics for itself. Long live ICANN, and may the community continue to have many drinks together in exotic locales!
ICANN not far better than any organization. Their time will come.
“The White House on Tuesday issued a veto threat to a bill proposed in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives that would restrict the Commerce Department’s ability to use its funding to relinquish ICANN oversight.”
www . reuters . com /article/2015/06/02/us-usa-internet-icann-idUSKBN0OI2IJ20150602
Fred should launch ICANN.SUCKS and if it is not available, he should try ICANNDO.SUCKS>
The last listed price for ICANN.sucks was over $200,000
I don’t think Fred hates them enough to spend $200,000 on a stupid domain like that one
The GigaSwitch MAE-East (Metropolitan Area Exchange) is where ICANN should have been headquartered right from the start.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAE-East
Intersting piece and comments. Not sure if I have formed an opinion about ICANN yet. All my interactions with them have been very welcomed. I agree that fresh faces, opinions and ideas are a great thing for any organization.
Thanks Fred for stepping out of the fold and shining light on the many problems with ICANN. The larger ICANN becomes, the more silence it buys off by hiring or contracting those who could be dissenting voices in the community it serves.
Many of the key problems you cite are due to a “hire only inexperienced friends and yes men and only listen to their advice” mentality of Fadi/Akram. Advice from experienced staff is neither solicited or heeded with digital archery, data breaches, personnel loss being just a few examples. With Fadi’s departure a few others should submit their resignation letters as well including Akram, Hedlund, Gerich and others.
Thank you for keeping the lights on.